Simkania negevensis containing vacuoles: Formation, trafficking and subversion of host signaling

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It is still largely unknown how obligate intracellular bacteria of the order Chlamydiales establish and maintain their replicative vacuole in host cells. Simkania negevensis belongs to this group of bacteria and is closely related to the pathogenic Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Chlamydia trachomatis. Simkania infects both mammalian cells and amoeba, and thus represents a barely characterized evolutionary intermediate between the pathogenic and environmental members of the Chlamydiales. Our recent data demonstrated that Simkania replicates in an unusual vacuole which is located within the endoplasmic reticulum and is tightly connected to the host mitochondria. Here, we investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the accommodation of the Simkania-containing vacuole (SCV). We will explore the formation and trafficking of the SCV and the interaction with the host endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. Further, the basis of how the pathogen controls the apoptotic program of the host cell will be investigated. We expect to unravel how the endoplasmic reticulum and the mitochondria are modified during infection with Simkania and how this modification contributes to the establishment and maintenance of the SCV.